A struggle is underway for the budgets and hearts of St. Louis landscape lighting contractors and their customers... a struggle between two opposing forces of light!
How can this be? Because there are no "bad guys" here; just two distinct lighting systems, each of which have their pros and cons. First, let's review the new technology: LED (or Light Emitting Diode) landscape lighting. LED bulbs sip electricity and can sometimes last 10 times longer (40,000 hours vs. 4000 hours) than incandescent lighting, which means halogen bulbs if you're talking landscape lighting. LED bulbs are energy efficient and long-lasting, which means they ARE the "green" technology.
What are the advantages of LED lighting, if you ask the landscape contractors?
1. You don't have to change the bulbs every one to two years, like you do with halogen bulbs.
2. Because of the lower electrical demand, a less powerful transformer can be utilized, saving your customer some money.
3. Also because of the lower wattage, you will lose less voltage, so you can install thinner cable and use less involved layouts (wire in series/daisy chain, etc.)
4. Your clients (and you) can be proud you're using "green" energy technology.
While there are no huge problems with LEDs, there are some things worth noting:
1. Most LED lights produce lower lumens (which are a measure of illumination) compared to halogen. A 35-watt halogen bulb will produce 2100 lumens while a good three-watt LED produces about 300 lumens. That means LEDs are on the low side of lumen production as it relates to landscape lighting. Three hundred lumens means the LED in this example is equal to a 15-watt halogen.
2. Most LED marketing materials do not mention the lumens number (again, actual light output) and color temperature (color of the light). They only mention the wattage (the energy they use) which does not tell you anything about their light output.
3. LED bulbs are pricier than halogen lights.
However, there is one more LED "pro" that may soon make these apparent drawbacks moot: the technology is improving exponentially every day. LED prices are dropping, lumens are increasing and color temperatures are getting warmer. Even newer LED technologies are emerging which enable higher output with less heat (i.e. longer life/more reliable). Many say that LED technology is almost advanced enough for everyday applications.
So what recommendation does a landscape lighting contractor make to his customer? It depends ... and will be the subject of a future article.
.
How can this be? Because there are no "bad guys" here; just two distinct lighting systems, each of which have their pros and cons. First, let's review the new technology: LED (or Light Emitting Diode) landscape lighting. LED bulbs sip electricity and can sometimes last 10 times longer (40,000 hours vs. 4000 hours) than incandescent lighting, which means halogen bulbs if you're talking landscape lighting. LED bulbs are energy efficient and long-lasting, which means they ARE the "green" technology.
What are the advantages of LED lighting, if you ask the landscape contractors?
1. You don't have to change the bulbs every one to two years, like you do with halogen bulbs.
2. Because of the lower electrical demand, a less powerful transformer can be utilized, saving your customer some money.
3. Also because of the lower wattage, you will lose less voltage, so you can install thinner cable and use less involved layouts (wire in series/daisy chain, etc.)
4. Your clients (and you) can be proud you're using "green" energy technology.
While there are no huge problems with LEDs, there are some things worth noting:
1. Most LED lights produce lower lumens (which are a measure of illumination) compared to halogen. A 35-watt halogen bulb will produce 2100 lumens while a good three-watt LED produces about 300 lumens. That means LEDs are on the low side of lumen production as it relates to landscape lighting. Three hundred lumens means the LED in this example is equal to a 15-watt halogen.
2. Most LED marketing materials do not mention the lumens number (again, actual light output) and color temperature (color of the light). They only mention the wattage (the energy they use) which does not tell you anything about their light output.
3. LED bulbs are pricier than halogen lights.
However, there is one more LED "pro" that may soon make these apparent drawbacks moot: the technology is improving exponentially every day. LED prices are dropping, lumens are increasing and color temperatures are getting warmer. Even newer LED technologies are emerging which enable higher output with less heat (i.e. longer life/more reliable). Many say that LED technology is almost advanced enough for everyday applications.
So what recommendation does a landscape lighting contractor make to his customer? It depends ... and will be the subject of a future article.
.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about St. Louis landscape lighting? Then visit MPR Supply to learn more.
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